About Hong Kong Dog Rescue
HKDR was founded in 2003 for the specific purpose of saving dogs and puppies from the Hong Kong Government’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) Animal Management Centres, where around 7,000 dogs and puppies are destroyed every year. A lot them of were family pets that had been abandoned on the street or in country parks, while others have been directly surrendered. Many are puppies that are the result of irresponsible owners not desexing their pets, or are those born to abandoned or stray dogs. They all have one thing in common and that is that they are homeless and unwanted, and have just four days to live unless they are
chosen for re-homing.
Only a small percentage of these dogs and puppies are lucky enough to be rescued by HKDR, after which the larger ones will be taken care of at our main Tai Po Homing Centre, while smaller dogs awaiting re-homing will stay at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre. Puppies usually live at the HKDR base on Lamma Island or stay in foster homes, and they are taken to Whiskers N Paws at Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau, every Sunday from 2pm to 5pm where potential adopters can meet them and hopefully take them home.
As much as possible, puppies and smaller dogs are placed in temporary foster care where they can live in a home environment before being permanently adopted. Our foster network plays a vital role in helping dogs overcome the trauma of being abandoned or their previous unhappy circumstances, such as those that are rescued from breeding farms.
Alongside the rescue and re-homing efforts, education is also an important part of HKDR’s mission, and as part of that the Education & Training Centre was opened in July 2013, directly opposite our Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre. This small venue is used for a variety of workshops and classes, all of which are designed to help improve dog- human understanding and so reduce the number of pets being abandoned. Whiskers N Paws also hosts the HKDR ‘Positive Partners’ Training Courses, which are designed to promote responsible pet ownership as well as reward-based training methods.
Dedication
HKDR is funded almost entirely by private donations, with the addition of one-off grants, event sponsorship, merchandise sales and fundraising events, with free desexing provided by AFCD for all dogs and puppies taken from their Animal Management Centres and an annual Subvention (amount varies). All of the dogs and puppies that HKDR take in for re-homing are health checked, vaccinated, given flea, tick and heartworm prevention and de-sexed. Those who require additional veterinary treatment or surgery are given the best available. Dogs with behavioural problems are rehabilitated using Positive Reinforcement training methods to make them ready for adoption.
HKDR relies heavily on the time and efforts of dedicated volunteers to be able to operate and many of the important functions of the organisation are handled solely by such volunteers, such as our Foster and Life Saver Club programmes, and even the Volunteer Coordination itself.
HKDR is proud to be a No Kill Organisation, meaning that no dog under our care will be euthanised for any reason other than when it is the only humane option.
